The present invention relates generally to conveyor apparatuses for conveying a material to a desired location and for depositing the conveyed material onto a stack or pile at such desired location. More particularly, the present invention relates to a new and improved type of such conveyors, wherein the conveyor is of a knuckled configuration, having an outer section articulated with respect to an inner section, with the articulated outer section being hydraulically actuated.
Various conveyor apparatuses have been provided in the prior art for conveying and handling material such as aggregate, slag, sand, gravel, coal, and other particle-type materials, with such apparatuses being configured to receive such material at an intake or transfer end from a truck or other transporting vehicle. The conveyor apparatus then conveys the material to a desired location, at which the material is deposited, stacked, or piled for storage.
One of the most common of such prior art conveyor apparatuses is the so-called mast-and-cable type of stacking conveyor, which includes an inner section with an outer section hingedly or pivotally attached to the inner section, and which has a very large mast or tower structure supporting the assembly at the hinged or pivotal interconnection. Such mast or tower structure is typically rather massive and extends upwardly well beyond the hinged interconnection of the inner and outer sections. Such mass and height is required for supporting cable drive mechanisms adapted for raising or lower the outer section during conveying and stacking of the material. However, it has been well known for quite some time in the industry that such mast-and-cable type stacking conveyors suffer from numerous disadvantages, including safety concerns resulting from the outer section being supported solely by block-and-tackle, cable-type mechanisms, which are well known to be highly susceptible to wear. breakage, slippage, and other undesirable hazards. In addition. such mast-and-cable conveyors are inordinately expensive to purchase and install, due to the large amount of steel and other components necessary for their manufacture, as well as being expensive to maintain and operate. Furthermore, because such mast-and-cable type stacking conveyors are very difficult to precisely control, and are frequently somewhat limited in their upward and downward range of movement, environmental concerns have become evident due to the relatively high amount of segregation of the material falling from the discharge end of the conveyor as the lighter particles of such material became separated from the main stream in high wind conditions. As a result, numerous attempts have been made to lessen these environmental hazards, including the installation of spray water devices to minimize such segregation, as well as the installation of enclosures or covers on the conveyor apparatus, the installation of downwardly-telescoping discharge chutes, and the installation of other high-cost and high-maintenance equipment. In addition to the dust or particulate environmental concerns, the aesthetic environmental impact at an installation site was undesirable due to the necessarily high visibility and high profile of such mast-and-cable type stacking conveyors, with such high profiles resulting from the great height of the mast or tower in order to facilitate the use of the cable-type apparatus for raising or lowering the outer section. A typical example of such a mast-and-cable type stacking conveyor is illustrated in the drawings in FIG. 2.
In order to address the various disadvantages and shortcomings of the prior art stacking conveyor apparatuses, including the above-mentioned mast-and-cable type stacking conveyor, the present invention seeks to provide a knuckled, hydraulically-actuated stacking conveyor that is adaptable for full automation by way of computer or other numeric control devices readily available in today's marketplace, that is capable of precise, easily controllable locating of the point of discharge of the material being conveyed, that is capable of being lowered very close to the ground, typically within six feet of grade, and that is adaptable for hydraulic operation for low maintenance and reliable operation. In addition, the present invention seeks to provide such a stacking conveyor that is substantially safer, lower in initial and operating costs, and lower in visual profile than the above-mentioned mast-and-cable type stacking conveyors. It has been found, during initial testing of stacking conveyors according to the present invention, that the various problems discussed above have been substantially eliminated, or at least substantially minimized, and that the above-mentioned environmental concerns have been significantly reduced or virtually eliminated.
According to the present invention, a stacking conveyor apparatus for conveying material to a desired location and for depositing the conveyed material into a carefully controlled stack or pile at such desired location includes a first elongated boom section having an intake end for receiving the material to be conveyed, with said first boom section sloping upwardly and outwardly away from the intake end. A second elongated boom section is hingedly interconnected at one end with the first boom section in a generally longitudinally end-to-end relationship therewith, and extends outwardly away from the hinged interconnection to an opposite discharge end. The second boom section is selectively and pivotally movable upwardly and downwardly relative to the first boom section, about the hinged interconnection. An intermediate vertical support structure vertically supports the hingedly interconnected ends of the first and second boom sections, with the intermediate support structure being selectively movable laterally in order to pivot the stacking conveyor apparatus laterally, generally in an arc about the intake end of the first boom section. In addition, the vertical support structure preferably does not extend vertically above the hinged interconnection of the generally adjacent ends of the first and second boom sections.
The conveyor apparatus also includes a conveyor belt, track, or other such conveyor means for moving the material from the intake end of the first boom section to the discharge end of the second boom section, as well as an extension member extending between the vertical support structure and the upwardly and downwardly pivotal second boom section. The extension member, which is preferably a two-piece telescopic configuration, is selectively extendible and retractable, preferably by way of hydraulic-actuated drive means, in order to selectively pivot the second boom section between raised and lowered positions. In order to facilitate the proper alignment and ease of operation of the extension member, a support link member pivotally extends between the vertical support structure and the extension member in order to substantially minimize or prevent sagging of the extension member during raising and lowering of the second boom section. Preferably, the support link consists of a cable interconnecting the vertical support structure and the extension member, but a relatively rigid link can also ultimately be used in appropriate applications. Such support link is preferably of a constant length regardless of the raised or lowered position of the second or outer boom section.
Additional objects, advantages, and innovative features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.